News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Unification ministry drafting guidelines on leafleting ban to clarify 'scope of application': official
2. N. Korea's newspaper calls for powerful defense capabilities
3. Gov't Excuse for Crackdown on Free Speech Is Absurd (South Korea)
4. Public disapproval rating of Moon soars to record high 59.1 pct: Realmeter
5. How South Korea’s early coronavirus success left it struggling to contain latest wave
6. At War Online: South Korea and China
7. S. Korea signs deals to purchase vaccines from Janssen, Pfizer
8. Tide turns on Kim Jong-un's plan for North Korean 'Ibiza' beach resort
9. North Korea intensifies inspections of personnel in China
10. USFK to Start Coronavirus Vaccinations Next Week
11. How Operation Christmas, leaflets in North Korea and CIA pop put a creative twist on propaganda
12. Red Cross delivered $700K of COVID-19 aid to North Korea, report says
13. Biden’s Approach to North Korea and the NPT Option
14. North Korea Uses Dead Bodies of Prisoners as 'Human Fertilizer' on Flower Hill
15. Report: N. Korea hackers linked to site targeting COVID-19 vaccine developer
16. Golden Globes Under Fire for Shutting ‘Minari’ Out of Best Picture: ‘Racist,’ ‘Complete Bullsh*t’
17. North Korean media paint a dark picture of South's virus fight
18. N. Korean hacker opens phishing website for Severance Hospital
1. Unification ministry drafting guidelines on leafleting ban to clarify 'scope of application': official
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · December 24, 2020
I respectfully disagree with the Ministry of Unification view and attempt to clarify the law. I strongly recommend the Moon Administration reconsider what both our countries believe are inalienable and universal human rights. The government must be strictly restrained from limiting freedom of expression.
Let me reprise some of my previous comments.
The rationale for this Kim Yo-jong law is flawed. You must not appease north Korea. This will not protect Korean citizens nor will it cause north Korea to reciprocate in a positive way. And even more than appeasement, this law is directly contributing to the survival of the Kim family regime and assisting the regime in denying the human rights of the Korean people in the north (access to information) because the regime must deny the human rights of the Korean people in order to remain in power. The regime fears the Korean people more than it fears the US. We should never forget that.
In addition this law is based on erroneous assumptions about the nature and objectives of the mafia-like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime. I urge the Moon and incoming Biden administration to reassess alliance assumptions about the regime and revise combined alliance policies and strategies based on better assumptions. The most flawed assumption is that Kim Jong-un shares President Moon's vision of peace and reconciliation. This flawed assumption is what is leading to failed policy and strategy.
The Moon administration should realize it is going against the shared values of the community of democracies, It risks making South Korea an outlier and if it continues to enact laws that restrict basic human freedoms then it risks becoming pariah. And after the rights issue which should be paramount, the practical reason for overturning this "gag law" as Lord Alton terms it (or Kim Jo-jong law as others call it) is that it will not accomplish anything positive with regard to north Korea. Instead the regime will double down on its blackmail diplomacy because So9uth Korean appeasement shows the regime its political warfare strategy is achieving positive effects.
The ROK government has made an egregious mistake and we cannot sit idly by and not call it out. We are allies with shared values. This law goes against those shared values.
The ROKG cannot put a positive spin on this with its argument that this is about defending Korean citizens in the South from north Korean hostile action.
Unfortunately the real rationale is simply the misguided belief that appeasing the regime will change its behavior.
I am reminded of Benjamin Franklin's quote: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
But the very best statement comes from US Congressman MCCaul: “Freedom of expression is a core democratic value,” McCaul said. “A bright future for the Korean Peninsula rests on North Korea becoming more like South Korea — not the other way around.”
The real issue that should be discussed is how should the ROK/US alliance conduct effective information and influence activities to target the three target audiences in the north: the regime elite, the 2d tier leadership, and the population. What the assemblymen is really describing is the ROK and the ROK/US alliance have too long neglected the information instrument of national power. Because of this the escapees (defectors) have been left to their own devices and as outlined in this excerpt have conducted some activities that are counter productive to effective messaging.
Excerpts:
“South Korea and the US have repeatedly said that they have no intention of invading North Korea and causing a regime change so that the North would give up the willingness to develop nuclear weapons. However, allowing anti-North Korea propaganda broadcasts and sending leaflets with photoshopped naked pictures of Kim Jong Un’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, from the near-border area are considered psychological warfare, which would be viewed as an act of war.
The Korean Peninsula is legally in a state of war. The end of the war has not been declared. It is quite difficult to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program while neglecting such psychological warfare. The core content of the several inter-Korean agreements is the prohibition of mutual slander and mutual recognition of each other’s governmental system. North Korea does not distribute propaganda leaflets to South Korea. On the other hand, it is difficult to force North Korea to abide by inter-Korean agreements while South Korea does not.
We really need to develop a comprehensive and effective Alliance information and influence activities campaign.
The United States and South Korea should implement a comprehensive and aggressive IIA campaign in North Korea. The focus should be three-fold: create internal threats against the regime from among the elite, provide the second-tier leadership with alternative paths to survival, and prepare the Korean people for eventual unification under a United Republic of Korea. To do so, we recommend the following steps:
Develop organizational infrastructure to facilitate IIA: The United States and South Korea lack a single organization to direct IIA against North Korea. Washington and Seoul should establish institutions that would work together to plan and shape combined IIA. Fortunately, as discussed earlier, the United States already has numerous tools at its disposal, such as the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Voice of America; and Radio Free Asia. The United States should centralize these activities under an oversight organization. This organization would coordinate all agencies and departments and work with non-government organizations.
Under the Moon administration, there will likely be concerns that IIA could upset diplomatic conditions. Admittedly, an IIA campaign targeting Pyongyang could risk stirring additional short-term tensions with Pyongyang. But U.S. diplomats should remind their ROK counterparts that those tensions may ultimately forge a path to the peaceful denuclearization of North Korea. U.S. diplomats also need to remind their South Korean allies that Seoul’s persistent use of concessions has not elicited progress with Pyongyang.
Encourage Moon’s government to increase intra-Korean people-to-people exchanges: Washington should encourage intra-Korean engagement by sponsoring people-to-people educational and cultural exchanges. Such exchanges could expose North Korea’s intelligentsia and emerging elites to democratic concepts as well as personal relationships with South Koreans.241
Implement aggressive IIA targeting the North Korea regime: After building a baseline consensus, the United States and South Korea should implement increasingly aggressive IIA targeting the North Korean regime. These activities should inform North Koreans of their universal human rights and civil liberties that the regime is failing to respect. This will undermine the legitimacy of the Kim family regime and give hope to the people living in the North. Alternate sources of information can put regime propaganda in perspective.
This campaign could also help lay the initial groundwork for emergent leaders who could replace Kim and who might seek to unify with the South as equal partners under the values of individual liberty and freedom, liberal democracy, and a free market economy. At a minimum, this campaign could help persuade Kim that the status quo poses a greater threat than good faith negotiations with the United States and South Korea. The ultimate goal is to create internal divisions and threats that will influence Kim to denuclearize.
Increase exposure of North Koreans to the outside world: IIA must exploit North Koreans’ growing access to DVDs, USB drives, and smart phones from outside the country.242 These media devices can carry content popular among North Koreans, such as South Korean dramas, which can implicitly help Koreans in the North better understand the difference between the regime they have and the government they deserve.243
Establish a Korea Defector Information Institute (KDII): There is no single organization in the United States or South Korea that harnesses the information of defectors to support IIA. If both nations worked together to establish a KDII, it could serve as a repository for defector information to inform policymakers, strategists, and those responsible for developing IIA themes and messages. This institute should utilize defector knowledge and advice in devising appropriate messages and communications techniques. It could also encourage North Koreans to defect, particularly members of Office 39 (also known as Department 39), who are knowledgeable of the Kim family regime’s finances.
Provide military support to ROK-U.S. government programs for IIA: S. Psychological Operations (PSYOP) forces should be deployed on a permanent basis to support ROK PSYOP forces as part of a national-level alliance IIA campaign. ROK and U.S. PSYOP forces should advise and assist defector organizations to synchronize themes, messages, and dissemination methods to ensure unity of effort.
2. N. Korea's newspaper calls for powerful defense capabilities
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · December 24, 2020
We can laugh off what is often seemingly over the top rhetoric all we want, but the Propaganda and Agitation department often tells us what is the real regime policy and intent. This is one of those cases. Singun is military first politics not just policy. It permeates every aspect of the party and ruling functions.
I recommend reading the work of Robert Collins:
What South Korea And The US Need To Understand About North Korea
Kim Jong-un’s Hats: the Concept of Authority in North Korea
North Korea’s ORGANIZATION AND GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT" The Control Tower of Human Rights Denial
Pyongyang Republic: North Korea’s Capital of Human Rights Denial
3. Gov't Excuse for Crackdown on Free Speech Is Absurd (South Korea)
From the Chosun Ilbo editorial board. I fear the Moon administration is tone deaf to such criticism.
4. Public disapproval rating of Moon soars to record high 59.1 pct: Realmeter
en.yna.co.kr · by 김나영 · December 24, 2020
And I will bet these statistics do not yet factor in the new "Kim Yo-jong law."
5. How South Korea’s early coronavirus success left it struggling to contain latest wave
Excerpts:
“Stung by criticism his government’s plan to begin providing vaccines in February or March – months after some other countries – was too relaxed, Moon on Tuesday promised a public vaccination programme would “not begin too late” and his office emphasised the country would eventually buy enough doses to cover more than 85 per cent of the population. Lim said the government should have prepared for worst case scenarios but failed to scale up efforts it had made in earlier waves, such as quickly securing enough beds in private hospitals.
“We came to believe that everything was going to be OK if we wear masks well and stick to what we had been doing,” he said. “But that belief held authorities back from looking at why they were slow to act, and whether there were lessons to learn, from both successes and failures.”
6. At War Online: South Korea and China
thediplomat.com · by Troy Stangarone · December 24, 2020
Conclusion: "Despite being self-defeating, China’s embrace of a more assertive public diplomacy stance suggests that the use of social media controversies to drive narratives might also be reflective of the future of relations between South Korea and China."
7. S. Korea signs deals to purchase vaccines from Janssen, Pfizer
en.yna.co.kr · by 김은정 · December 24, 2020
Will this stem the criticism of the Moon administration?
8. Tide turns on Kim Jong-un's plan for North Korean 'Ibiza' beach resort
Vanity project.
9. North Korea intensifies inspections of personnel in China
dailynk.com· by Jang Seul Gi · December 24, 2020
China is complicit in north Korea human rights abuses.
Excerpts:
“Daily NK previously reported that in mid-November, the authorities ordered the North Korean embassy in China to carry out inspections of the heads of trading companies, labor managers, managers of North Korean restaurants, and other personnel in the country.
Cadres from the embassy and local consulates reportedly inspected individuals’ mobile phones and other personal items during one-on-one interviews.
They are also looking to see if homes have books from other countries or Bibles, and are asking if occupants have come into contact with such things.”
10. USFK to Start Coronavirus Vaccinations Next Week
english.chosun.com· December 24, 2020
Excerpt: "That includes KATUSA soldiers and civilian Korean workers in the military," a military source here said."
11. How Operation Christmas, leaflets in North Korea and CIA pop put a creative twist on propaganda
PSYOP.
ABC.net.au · December 23, 2020
Who would have thought of linkage of Korea, Colombia, Germany and the USSR?
I bet Soo Kim could take both Kim Yo-jong and north Korean YouTuber Un A in two out of three falls. See photos below.
Seriously, Soo Kim offers some important views on PSYOP.
12. Red Cross delivered $700K of COVID-19 aid to North Korea, report says
upi.com · by Elizabeth Shim · December 23, 2020
A miniscule number but if there are no COVID cases in north Korea perhaps they do not need much help.
13. Biden’s Approach to North Korea and the NPT Option
fpif.org · by John Feffer · December 23, 2020
Note the subtitle.
With a twist - part of the "NPT proposal" been tried - the 1994 Agreed Framework. But do we really think we are going to offer to reduce our nuclear weapons and would any reduction or promise of such really have a positive impact on north Korea negotiations?
I guess we will know when we start seeing nuclear weapons as solar panels.
Excerpt:
“If the Biden administration maintains this approach once it takes power, the United States will concede that North Korea is a de facto nuclear power that is willing to consider arms control but not, at least in the near term, complete verifiable and irreversible dismantlement (CVID) of its nuclear weapons program. In the interim, the administration will pursue arms control—the limiting of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program rather than its elimination—in exchange for sanctions relief.
Let’s call this the NPT option. In the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, non-nuclear countries agreed to give up their potential nuclear weapons programs in exchange for two things. First, they would receive assistance to develop civilian nuclear programs (“atoms for peace”). Second, the nuclear powers pledged to begin the process of global nuclear disarmament. The “atoms for peace” programs proliferated, but the nuclear powers embraced only modest arms control measures, not serious steps toward disarmament.
If the United States approaches North Korea with a similar bargain, engagement can proceed with North Korea agreeing to eventual disarmament while adopting interim arms control measures in exchange for a reduction in economic sanctions and a new package of clean energy alternatives.”
14. North Korea Uses Dead Bodies of Prisoners as 'Human Fertilizer' on Flower Hill
ibtimes.sg · by Parwinder Sandhu · December 22, 2020
Yes, we have been reading about this quite a bit of late. But we cannot overemphasize how absolutely evil is the Kim family regime. We must never forget what the regime is doing to the Korean people living in the north.
15. Report: N. Korea hackers linked to site targeting COVID-19 vaccine developer
upi.com· by Elizabeth Shim · December 23, 2020
But there are no COVID cases in north Korea. (or so the regime says)
16. Golden Globes Under Fire for Shutting ‘Minari’ Out of Best Picture: ‘Racist,’ ‘Complete Bullsh*t’
Indiewire · by Zack Sharf · December 23, 2020
Is this in retaliation for Parasite winning the best picture Oscar?
Excerpt: “Just for the record, ‘Minari’ is an American movie written and directed by an American filmmaker set in America with an American lead actor and produced by an American production company,” Simu Liu wrote. “What could be more American than that?”
17. North Korean media paint a dark picture of South's virus fight
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · by Shim Kyu-Seok
Not unexpected. north Korean propaganda toward the South has not subsided.
18. N. Korean hacker opens phishing website for Severance Hospital
donga.com· December 24, 2020
Kim Jong-un's all purpose sword is sharp and being wielded on a daily basis.
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"You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might."
- Henry David Thoreau
“In a democracy, someone who fails to get elected to office can always console himself with the thought that there was something not quite fair about it.”
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
“The absence of romance in my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest, but if it is judged worthy by those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the understanding of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it, I shall be content.
In fine I have written my work not as an essay with which to win the applause of the moment but as a possession for all time.”
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War